I am just starting up my pool. After getting all of my levels correct, I jump in only to find that the bottom and the walls of the pool feel rough like sand paper. I have swept, scrubbed and tried to clean what I believe is to be scaling. What are other suggestions to fix this issue? Is it safe to swim in?
My pool liner feels like sandpaper
- Thread starter Hortonae
- Start date
Hi there Hortonae 
Welcome to TFP! 
How do you test and treat your water? What do you use for each??
Can you give us accurate:
FC
CC
ph
TA
CH
CYA
These will help us diagnose the problem. It does sound like calcium nodes or buildup. There are ways to deal with it but gotta know whats in there first. Also, can you test the calcium in your fill water? My water in Augusta area is very soft (like 40ppm). Have you been adding calcium to a vinyl pool, that doesn't really need calcium?
Yippee
Welcome to TFP! How do you test and treat your water? What do you use for each??
Can you give us accurate:
FC
CC
ph
TA
CH
CYA
These will help us diagnose the problem. It does sound like calcium nodes or buildup. There are ways to deal with it but gotta know whats in there first. Also, can you test the calcium in your fill water? My water in Augusta area is very soft (like 40ppm). Have you been adding calcium to a vinyl pool, that doesn't really need calcium?
Yippee
FC 3.7
CC 0.0
Ph 7.3
Hardness 180
Alk 102
CYA 60
Copper 0.06
Iron 0
Can I use my fas-DPD chlorine kit to test? (Well water) The calcium was low so I added 10lbs. The sand paper feeling was there before I added calcium and added after these test results. I use liquid chlorine to treat my pool.
CC 0.0
Ph 7.3
Hardness 180
Alk 102
CYA 60
Copper 0.06
Iron 0
Can I use my fas-DPD chlorine kit to test? (Well water) The calcium was low so I added 10lbs. The sand paper feeling was there before I added calcium and added after these test results. I use liquid chlorine to treat my pool.
Welcome to TFP
You shouldn't need to worry about CH (calcium hardness) with a vinyl lined pool.
How old is your liner?
Those numbers don't indicate calcium scale but what you describe certainly sounds like calcium scale. More about calcium scale here, Pool School - Calcium Scaling
Do you brush often, like, maybe weekly??
Your pH is already on the low end where it needs to be to help dissolve any calcium back in to solution (the pool water, off the walls) but perhaps increased brushing will help. It may take a little time.
If you notice your CH increasing it can be from your brushing but also from some pool water evaporation. The calcium doesn't leave when the water does.
Maddie
Your pH is already on the low end where it needs to be to help dissolve any calcium back in to solution (the pool water, off the walls) but perhaps increased brushing will help. It may take a little time.
If you notice your CH increasing it can be from your brushing but also from some pool water evaporation. The calcium doesn't leave when the water does.
Maddie
How are you getting an alkalinity of 102?
Is that actual or adjusted?
What's the highest the pH has been?
Is that actual or adjusted?
What's the highest the pH has been?
That's with stabilizer correction. As long as I have checked the ph it has only been around 7.4
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Since opening the pool, I brush daily. The brush doesn't help.
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Is it possible that it's dead algae sitting on the bottom?
No, dead algae is light and easily poofs up and away if you brush or stir up the water. It won't hurt anything to lower the CSI and brush a lot as shown in the article I posted above. If it is scale it will slowly dissolve over time. Weeks to months depending on how long the scale took to build up. I don't know what else it could be.
Just out of curiosity, would an older vinyl liner feel like this on the sides mainly, and a portion of the bottom? Mine is going on six years old and I just noticed this year that the liner on the walls are rough just like this.